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The Art of the Prom

By

Monika Anderson

Jul 2, 2012 10:00 am ET

Proms can be terrific or terrible, but they are rarely art. A new exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art aims to change that. “Prom,” on view through Oct. 28, is the most recent series from American photographer Mary Ellen Mark. Taken between 2006 and 2009, the exhibit’s 41 portraits show prom-goers at 13 schools across the country, including one for students with cognitive disorder and Mark’s alma mater in a Philadelphia suburb.